Underwing Moths of Berrien County, Michigan

The underwing moths are the best known and most colorful of an assortment of otherwise rather drab and obscurely marked middle-sized moths assembled within the Family Erebidae. Often lumped with the owlet moths of an immense family known as the Noctuidae, the All-Leps North American Checklist has raised the underwing moths and their close relatives to the family level, a classification followed here.

Sherman Moore’s (1955) Annotated List of the Moths of Michigan (.pdf) documents the occurrence of 64 species of underwing moths and their allies (representing 7 subfamilies and 28 genera) from Berrien County.

Scientific names and higher-level classifications used in this list follows All-Leps. Common names are primarily from the BugGuide, supplemented with Charles V. Covel’s Eastern Moths in one or two instances. An asterisk (*) denotes a species documented from Berrien County by Moore, while a string of question marks (?????) denotes a species of questionable validity (i.e., I could not confirm Moore's original identity with a known species in All-Leps or the BugGuide).

Subfamily Boletobiinae:

Melanomma auricinctaria, Gold-lined Melanomma Moth*

Oxycilla basipallida (=panatela]* ?????

Subfamily Calpinae (fruit piercing moths):

Plusiodonta compressipalpis, Moonseed Moth*

Scoliopteryx libatrix, The Herald*

Subfamily Catocalinae (underwing moths):

Allotria elonympha, False Underwing*

Caenurgina crassiuscula, Clover Looper*

Caenurgina erechtea, Forage Looper*

Catocala amatrix, The Sweetheart*

Catocala amica, Girlfriend Underwing*

Catocala cara, Darling Underwing*

Catocala cerogama, Yellow-banded Underwing*

Catocala concumbens, Pink Underwing*

Catocala ilia, Ilia Underwing*

Catocala insolabilis, Inconsolable Underwing*

Catocala junctura, Joined Underwing*

Catocala neogama, The Bride*

Catocala parta, Mother Underwing*

Catocala praeclara, Praeclara Underwing*

Catocala relicta, White Underwing*

Catocala ultronia, Ultronia Underwing*

Catocala unijuga, Once-married Underwing*

Drasteria [=Syneda] grandirena [=limbolaris]*

Panopoda rufimargo, Red-lined Panopoda*

Parallelia bistriaris, Maple Looper Moth*

Spiloloma (=Strenoloma) lunilinea, Moon-lined Moth*

Zale lunata, Lunate Zale*

Zale lunifera, Bold-based Zale*

Zale obliqua, Oblique Zale*

Zale undularis, Black Zale*

Subfamily Eublemminae:

Ledaea (=Spargaloma) perditalis, Lost Owlet*

Metalectra discalis, Common Fungus Moth*

Metalectra quadrisignata, Four-spotted Fungus Moth*

Subamily Euteliinae:

Marathyssa inficita, Dark Marathyssa*

Paectes oculatrix, Eyed Paectes*

Subfamily Herminiinae (dried-leaf moths):

Chytolita morbidalis, Morbid Owlet*

Chytolita petrealis, Stone-winged Owlet*

Idia (=Epizeuxis) aemula, Common Idia*

Idia (=Epizeuxis) americalis, American Idia*

Idia (=Epizeuxis) denticulalis, Toothed Idia*

Idia (=Epizeuxis) forbesii*

Idia (=Epizeuxis) julia*

Idia (=Epizeuxis) lubricalis, Glossy Black Idia*

Idia (=Epizeuxis) rotundalis, Rotund Idia Moth*

Idia (=Epizeuxis) scobialis, Smoky Idia*

Lascoria ambigualis, Ambiguous Moth*

Macrochilo (=Hormisa) absorptalis, Slant-lined Owlet*

Macrochilo (=Hormisa) litophora, Brown-lined Owlet Moth*

Palthis angulalis, Dark-spotted Palthis*

Palthis asopialis, Faint-spotted Palthis*

Phalaenostola (=Philometra) eumelusalis, Dark Phalaenostola*

Phalaenostola larentioides, Black-banded Owlet*

Renia factiosalis, Sociable Renia*

Renia flavipunctalis, Yellow-spotted Renia*

Renia salusalis*

Renia sobrialis, Sober Renia*

Zanclognatha laevigata, Variable Zanclognatha*

Zanclognatha lituralis, Lettered Zanclognatha*

Zanclognatha ochreipennis, Wavy-lined Zanclognatha*

Subfamily Hypeninae (owlet snout moths):

Hypena (=Bomolocha) abalienalis, White-lined Bomolocha*

Hypena (=Bomolocha) baltimoralis, Baltimore Bomolocha*

Hypena (=Bomolocha) deceptalis, Deceptive Bomolocha*

Hypena (=Bomolocha) manalis, Flowing-line Bomolocha*

Hypena (=Bomolocha) palparia, Mottled Bomolocha*

Hypena (=Plathypena) scabra, Green Cloverworm Moth*

Subfamily Scolecocampinae:

Amolita fessa, Feeble Grass Moth*

Amolita (=Arzama) obliqua, Oblique Grass Moth*

Isogona tenuis, Thin-lined Owlet*

Scolecocampa liburna, Dead-wood Borer Moth*